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Food and Drink

To share a tender, lonesome heart
glendabyline

February is heart month on so many levels, it’s impossible not to think about it, the heart that is, what with Valentine’s Day granting the only respite in an otherwise dull month, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation people riding the saint’s contemporized coat-tails, reminding us of heart health every chance they get.

But given the poor old heart is such a tired, overworked symbol, metaphorized and allegorized nearly to death, we seldom unlock it from its imprisonment in flat "heart-shaped" pieces of red or neon pink posterboard dangling in storefront displays next to naughty red-lace teddies, or in any of the other myriad incarnations of Valentines – cinnamon or chocolate marshmallow "hearts" or paper ones bearing love profound and true for an eighth-grader two grades ahead of you – and consider its formal grand and muscular self, especially as it might appear on our dinner plates.

Oh heart, how awful, thinks the average Canadian WASP, whom my Polish husband charges with having a genetically programmed aversion to eating "pumps and filters." At this point I will resist making an awful/offal pun, the latter which hearts, along with the other passé organs and bits of the carcass like livers, kidneys and tongues, comprise.

On the other hand, for centuries and beyond, Europeans, and even some of our own elders on North American soil, have treasured heart for its robust flavour and nutritional value. The sad irony is I have yet to find one HeartSmart recipe for heart, a shame since it is such a healthy and, say the heart eaters, delicious source of protein.

Part of this divergence on the heart issue arises from the "use every part" philosophy born of leaner, more agrarian times which were steeped in practicality. We, on the other hand, the fortunate, illusioned children of eternal wealth and endless choice, have chosen to scrunch up our collective noses to the euphemistically named "variety meats" and show them the kitchen door, chop-chop.

A quick survey of local butchers – Johnny McAuley, at Whistler Marketplace IGA, James Thomas at Creekside Market, and Michael Warren and Eric Bamberry at Nesters Market – reveals many explanations about why we’ve become so heartless.

"All the offals, you don’t see them, especially in Whistler – it seems people are above that," says James. The others echo his sentiments: Heart is cheap – poor people eat it. It’s an old world food; the younger generation doesn’t know what to do with it. People don’t like to eat stuff like that, just the thought of it...

Poor heart. Cheap. Unfashionable. Low-class.

Such deep-seated, latent rejection isn’t new. The word "offal" even stems from a Dutch word meaning off-value or fallen value. So on the one hand, it’s been spurned throughout the ages; but on the other, it has its passionate followers.

Those who eat heart swear by it. My husband’s family enjoyed heart in various incarnations when he was growing up in Montreal. When his mom was off in the hospital giving birth to his younger sister, Peter’s dad made a giant pot of heart stew the two of them ate breakfast, lunch and dinner for the entire two weeks. He doesn’t remember getting tired of it.

Johnny at IGA cooks it himself. He says it’s awesome, low in cholesterol, with virtually no fat and a rich, beefy flavour. Michael at Nesters took his training in meat processing at Vancouver Community College, where they served the students stuffed heart. Everybody liked it, including Michael.

Heart can also add a pleasing appearance. James at Creekside Market recalls working years ago for butchers in Ontario who would toss a heart into the ground beef mix to redden the colour. Well, it is beef, after all. (But that would never happen at Whistler, he quickly adds, especially given that regulations now forbid adding organ meats to ground beef.)

During the middle ages, Europeans in general and Italians in particular loved organ meats, including heart. In large cities, special organ vendors supplied the demand.

Classic cooks and their books tout heart. In her 1970s icon, Madame Benoit’s Library of Canadian Cooking , Madame herself recommends frequent consumption of heart and the other "variety meats" because of their high food value. She suggests that you choose a heart that is plump and well-rounded with a smooth, shiny finish. Eric says pick a smaller one as it will be tenderer.

The Gourmet Cookbook

suggests thinly slicing beef heart, marinating it in olive oil, salt and pepper and then cooking the slices on high in garlic-flavoured olive oil for about eight minutes. Add a few chopped anchovies at the end, and serve with more anchovies, lots of lemon juice and parsley. The Gourmet also tells us how to braise veal hearts, or cook them with mushroom caps and olive oil.

Suddenly our hearts seem much more expansive.

If you feel a bit hesitant because your health-conscious conscience tells you heart may be loaded with the antibiotics and growth hormones they give cattle these days, the butchers say fear not. This is a pump, not a filter like liver or kidneys, and it’s a muscle, just like the ones you eat in the form of roasts or steaks.

And don’t hesitate because you don’t see them. Our local butchers will gladly order one for you, organic if you like. So open your mind, and your heart, and try this recipe Eric created 25 years ago. He guarantees you’ll love it.

 

Eric Bamberry’s stuffed heart

Find a nice 2.5 to 3 lb heart. Stuff it with bread crumbs, chopped green pepper and celery, raisins, and walnuts. Season it with rosemary, salt and pepper as you like. Drizzle in some olive oil. Stuff the heart and wrap it in pie pastry. Bake it 15 minutes/lb, starting at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn it down to 275. Use a covered roasting pan or a glass dish. But if you use glass, lower the temperatures 5 to 10 degrees to prevent overcooking. Halfway through the cooking cycle, remove the lid and brush the pastry with butter or a wash of milk and egg to brown it. If you are using a roasting pan, put the lid back on; if you are using a glass dish, don’t. Serve your heart by cutting it lengthwise so you get a nice cross-section of the crust, meat and stuffing.